City Council declines RV ordinances

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Discussion of a law regarding recreational vehicles parked on private property inside the Van Wert city limits turned out to be a rather short one Monday night.

At the request of the administration, Law Director John Hatcher prepared a written legal opinion on the city potentially restricting the parking of RVs in residential areas. In it, he said the simple answer is yes, the city can have ordinances restricting the parking of recreational vehicles in residential areas, with a caveat.

“It (would have to be) for the health, safety, morals and general welfare of the citizens of Van Wert,” Hatcher told city council members. “Any ordinance passed by the city for purely aesthetic reasons and no other reason whatsoever would not be constitutional and would not be enforceable.”

“These ordinances are also what’s called ‘strictly construed’ – that means if you were to hypothetically prepare an ordinance, it would have to be very specific on what you are restricting and how you are restricting it,” he continued. “Any sort of gray area or anything unclear would be held against the city.”

Hatcher also said the city currently has no ordinances that restrict the outside storage of recreational vehicles in residential areas other than RVs can’t be parked in a yard.

After a brief discussion and questions by a handful of citizens in attendance, council members brought the matter to a close by stating they had no desire to enact any sort of law regarding the parking of RVs.